‘It wasn’t until this podcast that I really started paying attention properly to the history right on our doorstep’
Stories of change: Local lives, Hackney neighbourhoods
Immediate Theatre has launched a new ‘Hackney and Newham History Social Club’, an audio-storytelling show focussing on notable people and places in the two boroughs on either side of the River Lea.
Many local residents have roots elsewhere but are curious to find out about the neighbourhood in which we have settled. This podcast-based history aims to connect what is happening locally in the present with the rich past of the East London area.
The docu-series project, which is supported by a grant from the Lottery Fund, uses firsthand accounts to look back in time in people’s lives with broadcaster and actor Sue Elliott-Nicholls.
Out and about: Sue Elliott-Nicholls
Recent episodes include tales of how residents of Forest Gate, Stoke Newington and elsewhere have started small businesses, as well as accounts of devotion to local swimming spots, factory work and parenthood.
We meet the cabinet-maker Des, who loves the history of his local area in Stratford, and Carmen, who grew up nearby in Plaistow and trained as a nurse. The Patel family also features, including shopkeepers Mayank and Anju, and fashion-designer Priyesh.
Elliott-Nicholas says: ““East London has been my home since the 80s, I’ve worked in local pubs and cafes when I was starting out as an actress in my twenties. My husband works in the community, and we’ve raised our family here. But it wasn’t until this podcast that I really started paying attention properly to the history right on our doorstep.
“People often ask me about gentrification, and my answer is simple: areas change, especially in London. Just pay attention to what was here before you came.”
The heartwarming podcasts travel from Silvertown to Manor House, meeting local people who tell the stories of their lives and show how the places have become what they are today.